USM Seaperch Program holding middle and high school competition

Middle and high school students are putting their team and robot building skills to the test in a competition Saturday.

The challenge is through USM’s Seaperch Program in which teams of students learn to build an underwater remotely operated vehicle and follow a curriculum that has an ocean and marine engineering theme.

Nineteen teams, including a few schools from South Mississippi, are competing in the competition.

Director and Professor of the School of Ocean Science and Engineering Dr. Joe Griffit says with so little known about the ocean, it is important for students to learn what they can. “Seventy percent of the earth is covered by water so understanding how it works, how it interacts with humans, and impacts us and it is obviously really important. Every time a hurricane comes through the region, we’re reminded how important the ocean is. So, the more we know about that and understand it the better we are.”

All are welcome to attend the competition and learn more about the Seaperch Program.

It’s this Saturday from 8 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. at the Biloxi Natatorium.